Bench



Jan. 1, 1935. I u. EBERHARDT 1,986,563

BENCH Filed March 24, 1933 Patented Jan. 1,1935

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BENCH Ulrich Eberhardt, BernardsvillegN. J. Application March 24, 1933, Serial No. 662,441

2 Claims.

This invention is designed to provide a bench which can be used as a seat and also as a foot stool and which includes a wall at one end extending above the platform. The object of the invention is to provide a bench of this kind which can also be used in tilted position with the wall supporting the feet and the platform supporting the lower leg of a person.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bench which may include a rack or receptacle on the outer side of the wall which is used to hold articles such as magazines. The rack also acts by its weight to increase the tilting of the bench when used in inclined position and thus cause the platform to bear firmly upwardly against the lower leg of a person using the bench.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an end view of a bench embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a side view of the bench shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a perspective showing how the bench is used in inclined position.

The bench is one that can be used as a seat I and comprises a platform 10 supported at both ends by legs 11 and 12. The bench can then be used flat as a foot-rest.

On one end of the bench is a wall 13 which extends above the platform 10 and is high enough 3 to act as a foot support when the bench is tilted to prevent lateral tilting when the bench is used in inclined position utilizing the wall 13 as a footrest. The leg 11 may be used in lieu of legs at each corner but I prefer a single leg which may be cut away as at 16 to form separated feet 15. This board support holds the bench firmly against tilting or canting in a lateral direction when in- Vclined.

The bench when used in tilted position receives as shown in Figure 3. The foot 11 is broad enough the feet of the person on the wall 13 and the force so exercised by the feet causes the platform to be forced upwardly with the bottom of the leg 11 as a fulcrum. The platform thus serves to press upwardly on the lower legs of the person and this 5 support adds to the comfort of the user.

The bench may be provided with a rack 14 onthe outer side of the wall 13 and foot 11. The rack acts as a receptacle'for magazines or the like and may be constructed to hold various arti- 1o cles. The rack, however, has another function due to its location. It adds weight to the lower side of the tilted bench and thus holds the plat form 10 firmly up against the legs of a person when little or no pressure is applied bythe feet 15 to the wall 13. This feature adds to the comfort of the user and thus has a function in addition to that of acting as a holder or receptacle.

Various changes can be made in the form and proportion of parts without departing from the 20 scope of my invention.

I claim!- 1. A bench comprising a horizontal platform and having a leg at each endand a wall extending above the platform at one end, and a rack 25 on the outer side of the wall to act as a receptacle and to cause upward pressure by the platform against the user's legs when the bench is used in a tilted position with the wall acting as a foot- ULRICH EBERHARDT. 40 

